1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to device security. More specifically, the present invention relates to using a multimodal sequence to unlock a device.
2. Background of the Invention
Communications devices, such as cellular phones, have become a common tool of everyday life. Cellular phones are no longer simply used to place telephone calls. With the number of features available rapidly increasing, cellular phones are now used for storing addresses, keeping a calendar, reading e-mails, drafting documents, etc. With this wide range of features comes an even greater need for security. For instance, e-mails or documents may be private or privileged and need to be safe from unauthorized users. An unauthorized user picking up or stealing the cellular phone should not be able to access this private information.
Currently, cellular phones may be password protected through the keypad. The user sets up a password consisting of a series of keystrokes which must be re-entered to later access the cellular phone. These passwords can generally be any number of characters which the user will remember. Ideally, the password is challenging enough that an unauthorized user cannot simply guess the password and gain access.
A problem with using simply a keypad for password entry is the ability of others to determine the password without the user's knowledge. Someone may be able to see the user enter the password and easily be able to repeat it. Alternatively, an unauthorized user may simply be able to guess the password.
Biometric characteristics have become a more prevalent means of determining identity. Various branches of the United States government are using technology for recognition of fingerprints and faces. Other forms of biometrics include iris and finger vein recognition. Biometrics use unique characteristics of the human body as passkeys to secure resources, making forgery very complex. However, most biometric systems have a small false rejection rate and an even smaller, but much more consequential, false acceptance rate.
What is needed is access restriction which requires a unique, yet discreet input method.